A Wild Blizzard
by SugarcoatedstarsM31
Summary: The peace that was supposed to follow after Gudruns defeat, only lasts about a year before new evil spreads through the land. The former group is forced to work together again and a new generation of warriors begins to form amidst the terror of a terrible storm that threatens to wipe out the people of the Jarlshold.


The immovable white column supported the entirety of the city, reaching down into the nothingness of the chasm below and decorated with the history of the snow-walkers themselves in deep cracks about its surface. A pale little boy gazed with wonder bordering on obsessive admiration at the strength of the white city so immeasurably large as it reached out in both directions from the center plaza. He chose to gaze upwards and watch the whiteness of the pillar slowly blend into the whiteness of the sky like he did every morning. It seemed to whisper to him, to everyone of never ending stability and safety for the quiet people. Even now, with their queen gone forever and the rightful heir shunning his own kind, the snow-walkers went about their daily actions as if they were above any hardships that would plague a human city under similar circumstances.

There was no need to pick a ruler, before Gundrun there hadn't been one and now without her everything seemed to be going back to normal. The boy looked down at his pale hands before reaching out to touch the pillar. It was not allowed but with nobody watching, what harm could be done? Slowly as if unsure, the small fingers curled inward even as the hand moved forward. Then the hand stopped mere centimeters away and a single thin finger popped out to make contact.

The coolness of the pillar was unlike anything the boy had felt before. Snow-walkers do not feel the cold of snow or the freezing powers of icy winds, but this pillar made every molecule of the boy's being shiver in surprise. Then the coldness spread like a wildfire rushing through his small frame and with a small gasp of surprise the boy almost blacked out from the pain. A searing cold so frigid it burned. If possible his lips turned even bluer and when he thought it couldn't get any worse the pain disappeared and he was left on his knees still touching the pillar.

Looking around to see if he was caught, the boy pulled his hand away and stood up before hurrying down the street and back to his home where his own mother would be waiting. As the small silvery white figure retreated, a new crack splintered up the side of the pillar reaching down past the jagged rocks and foggy chasm, creating new runes that did not go unseen.

* * *

Tharinshall was quiet but no more quiet than usual. No birds sang in the trees and no wildlife pattered around in the snow as if they sensed the presence of the boy in the tall tower. That same boy was now staring off into space at the concoctions in his hands. Only moments ago had he been mixing them together in an effort to produced liquid luck and then the left side of his face had stiffened in pain. There was no warning and no apparent cause that came to mind as it came and left with a quickness that made him wonder if it had happened at all.

However, that wasn't the strange part, for the briefest of moments the young Ragnarrson had shared a mind with a young child and not just any child, but a halfling like himself. This boy, from what he could gather, was living in the city of the snow-walkers and had no idea of his true parentage. In fact, there seemed to be no inkling in the child's mind of his mixed blood either.

Setting aside his experiment for once, Kari lifted himself up from his table and went to the window where his birds were waiting silently. They knew, he didn't have to say anything as both picked up their wings and dove from the window headed north into the icy cold city. Their master sat back down to wait for news.

* * *

"Jessa raise your arms higher and try to suck in a bit more."

The brunette complied with a frown on her pretty face as the dress was stitched properly around her trim waist. Being a Lady she was expected to at least dress up for the feasts especially when there was company and Wulfger had a large amount of company. The celebration was over the birth of his heir, a tiny girl of small feature but strong vocals. The hardy child was most likely napping in her cradle before the feast began, in the nurses effort to keep the child quiet at least for a few minutes.

Jessa twirled slightly before the mirror as she admired the forest that complimented her brown locks, even if they were pulled up behind her ears. Today would be interesting as Kari would finally come to the Hold afters months of being shut up inside his home. Many of the allied countries had probably come just to catch a glimpse of the illustrious snow-walker himself. Jessa wouldn't deny she wanted a glimpse of him as well, but just as a concerned friend she reasoned.

A servant came to the door signalling her presence was required and the excited young woman hurried down the stairs to the large room. It was heavily decorated, as expected, and her eyes scanned the crowd not having to go far to catch a glimpse of her pale friend. She smiled at him across the room and he return the gesture before turning back to his talk with Brochael. Wandering through the throngs of people she didn't recognized, Jessa came up to the babies cradle still amused by the fact that the loud child was still sleeping among the noise of the hall.

"It's a miracle isn't it?" Signi whispered from behind, only mildly startling her friend.

"Yeah, I can't believe Ester is so oblivious.

Both woman shared a small chuckle before Jessa clasped Signi's hand.

"Congratulations, she is a healthy heir and more importantly a healthy baby."

"Thank you, that really means a lot Jessa. I hope she doesn't have to go through the same hardships as her father."

"I would wish for that my lady, a hardship helps people grow as they overcome it." The smiling face of the lovable skald joined their conversation just as the small eyelashes began to quiver. A soft mewling sound came from the little pink mouth and Signi was suddenly trying to soothe the waking newborn. Rubbing her back gently allowed a small smile to play on the child's lips before she settled back into slumber and Jessa couldn't help but sigh in relief. The baby could wail louder than any siren, and longer than any bird could sing.

"So Jessa, given any thought to settling down and having one for yourself?" And there it was, the question that had plagued her since Signi first confirmed her pregnancy. Jessa shook her head in irritation.

"I will wait for the right man, my strength alone is enough for now." The skald gave a wicked grin.

"And what man could match your wits and strength little Valkyrie. I can think of a small few, but you turned them down already."

Jessa let a full grin run across her face, those men Skapti had picked didn't last long under her scrutiny. The young woman shrugged, causing her musical friend to laugh. They exchange more pleasentries until Skapti was called over to the Jarl for important matters and Jessa was left alone with the cooing voice of Signi trying to will the babe into a deeper slumber.

"Hello Jessa."

She recognized the voice all too well, as her neck prickled and a smile lit up her face. Her body turned without hesitation and wrapped her friend in a long-overdue hug.

"Kari!"

* * *

**Yeah first Snow-Walker FF started successfully!**

**Disclaimer: I don't know if this was supposed to come first but I like it better on the bottom. I own nothing!**


End file.
